Editing Sexual fetishism

{{short description|Sexual arousal a person receives from an object or situation}}
{{Other uses|Fetishism (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name = Sexual fetishism
| synonym = 
| image = Martin van Maele - La Comtesse au fouet 01.jpg
| image_size = 250
| alt = A black-and-white drawing of a person on all fours licking the foot of another person sitting on a stool. This is an example of foot fetishism.
| caption = [[Foot fetishism]], one of the most common sexual fetishes
| pronounce = 
| specialty = [[Psychiatry]]
| symptoms = 
| complications = 
| onset = 
| duration = 
| types = 
| causes = 
| risks = 
| diagnosis = 
| differential = 
| prevention = 
| treatment = 
| medication = 
| prognosis = 
| frequency = 
| deaths = 
}}
'''Sexual fetishism''' is a sexual [[fixation (psychology)|fixation]] on an object or a body part.<ref name="DSM-5" /> The object of interest is called the '''fetish'''; the person who has a fetish is a '''fetishist'''.<ref name="vekquin">{{cite web |title=Common Misunderstandings of Fetishism |url=http://vekquin.com/articles/fetishism-psychology.html |url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105192014/http://vekquin.com/articles/fetishism-psychology.html |archive-date=5 January 2013 |access-date=24 May 2010 |publisher=K. M. Vekquin}}{{Better source needed|date=October 2024}}</ref> A sexual fetish may be regarded as a [[mental disorder]] if it causes significant [[psychosocial distress]] for the person or has detrimental effects on important areas of their life.<ref name="DSM-5">{{cite book | title = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition | chapter = Fetishistic Disorder, 302.81 (F65.0)| editor = American Psychiatric Association | year = 2013 | publisher = American Psychiatric Publishing | page = 700}}</ref><ref name="ICD">{{cite book |title=The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines |publisher=World Health Organization |page=170 |chapter=Fetishism, F65.0 |access-date=2 March 2014 |chapter-url=https://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/bluebook.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323025330/https://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/bluebook.pdf |archive-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref> [[Sexual arousal]] from a particular body part can be further classified as [[partialism]].<ref>Milner, J. S., & Dopke, C. A. (1997). Paraphilia Not Otherwise Specified: Psychopathology and theory. In D. R. Laws and W. O'Donohue (Eds.), ''Sexual deviance: Theory, assessment, and treatment.'' New York: Guilford.</ref>

While medical definitions restrict the term ''sexual fetishism'' to objects or body parts,<ref name="DSM-5" /> ''fetish'' can, in common discourse, also refer to sexual interest in specific activities, peoples, types of people, substances, or situations.<ref name="scorolli">{{cite journal |author1=Scorolli, C. |author2=Ghirlanda, S. |author3=Enquist, M. |author4=Zattoni, S. |last5=Jannini, E. |author5-link=Emmanuele A. Jannini |year=2007 |title=Relative prevalence of different fetishes |journal=International Journal of Impotence Research |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=432–437 |doi=10.1038/sj.ijir.3901547 |pmid=17304204 |doi-access=}}</ref>

== Definitions ==
In common parlance, the word ''fetish'' is used to refer to any sexually arousing stimuli, not all of which meet the medical criteria for fetishism.<ref name="scorolli" /> This broader usage of ''fetish'' covers parts or features of the body (including obesity and body modifications), objects, situations and activities (such as [[smoking]] or [[BDSM]]).<ref name="scorolli" /> [[Paraphilia]]s such as [[urophilia]], [[necrophilia]] and [[coprophilia]] have been described as fetishes.<ref name="kafka">{{cite journal | author = Kafka, M. P. | year = 2010 | title = The DSM diagnostic criteria for fetishism | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 39 | issue = 2 | pages = 357–362 | doi=10.1007/s10508-009-9558-7 | pmid=19795202| s2cid = 22820928 }}</ref>

Originally, most medical sources defined ''fetishism'' as a sexual interest in non-living objects, body parts or secretions. The publication of the [[DSM-III]] in 1980 changed that, by excluding arousal from body parts in its diagnostic criteria for fetishism. In 1987, the revised [[DSM-III-R]] introduced a new diagnosis for body part arousal called ''[[partialism]]''. The [[DSM-IV]] retained this distinction.<ref name="kafka" /> [[Martin Kafka]] argued that partialism should be merged into fetishism because of overlap between the two conditions.<ref name="kafka" /> The [[DSM-5]] subsequently did so, in 2013.<ref name="DSM-5" />

==Types==
{{See also|List of paraphilias}}
[[File:Dresseuses d'Hommes 7.jpg|thumb|A submissive man worshipping a woman's foot, from ''Dresseuses d'Hommes'' (1931)]]
In a review of 48 cases of clinical fetishism in 1983, fetishes included [[clothing fetish|clothing]] (58.3%), [[rubber and PVC fetishism|rubber]] and rubber items (22.9%), [[shoe fetishism|footwear]] (14.6%), [[partialism|body parts]] (14.6%), [[leather subculture|leather]] (10.4%), and soft materials or fabrics (6.3%).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chalkley |first1=A. J. |last2=Powell |first2=G. E. |year=1983 |title=The clinical description of forty-eight cases of sexual fetishism |journal=British Journal of Psychiatry |volume=142 |issue=3 |pages=292–95 |doi=10.1192/bjp.142.3.292|pmid=6860882 |s2cid=37994356 }}</ref>
A 2007 study counted members of Internet discussion groups with the word ''fetish'' in their name. Of the groups about body parts or features, 47% belonged to groups about feet ([[foot fetishism|podophilia]]), 9% about [[body fluid]]s (including [[urophilia]], [[scatophilia]], [[lactaphilia]], [[menophilia]], [[mucophilia]]), 9% about body size, 7% about hair ([[hair fetish]]), and 5% about muscles ([[muscle worship]]). Less popular groups focused on navels ([[navel fetishism]]), legs, body hair, mouth, and nails, among other things. Of the groups about clothing, 33% belonged to groups about clothes worn on the legs or buttocks (such as stockings or skirts), 32% about footwear ([[shoe fetishism]]), 12% about underwear ([[underwear fetishism]]), and 9% about whole-body wear such as jackets. Less popular object groups focused on headwear, stethoscopes, wristwear, [[pacifier]]s, and diapers ([[diaper fetishism]]).<ref name="scorolli" />

[[Erotic asphyxiation]] is the use of choking to increase the pleasure in sex. The fetish also includes an individualized part that involves choking oneself during the act of masturbation, which is known as auto-erotic asphyxiation. This usually involves a person being connected and strangled by a homemade device that is tight enough to give them pleasure but not tight enough to suffocate them to death. This is dangerous due to the issue of hyperactive pleasure seeking which can result in strangulation when there is no one to help if the device gets too tight and strangles the user.<ref>{{citation |title=World Health Organization (WHO) ICD-10 Revision |date=2014 |doi = 10.1037/e600382012-001}}</ref>

Devotism involves being [[Attraction to disability|attracted to disability]] or body modifications on another person that are the result of amputation for example. Devotism is only a sexual fetish when the person who has the fetish considers the amputated body part on another person the object of sexual interest.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1-link=Emmanuele A. Jannini|last1=Jannini|first1=E. A.|last2=Lenzi|first2=A.|last3=Isidori|first3=A. M.|last4=Sante|first4=S. Di|last5=Ciocca|first5=G.|last6=Carosa|first6=E.|last7=Gravina|first7=G. L.|last8=Carta|first8=R.|last9=Limoncin|first9=E.|date=March 2014|title=The sexual attraction toward disabilities: a preliminary internet-based study|journal=International Journal of Impotence Research|language=en|volume=26|issue=2|pages=51–54|doi=10.1038/ijir.2013.34|issn=1476-5489|pmid=24048013|s2cid=6029257|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Cause ==
[[File:1421 Sensory Homunculus.jpg|thumb|250x250px|The sensory regions for the feet and genitals lie next to each other, as shown in this [[cortical homunculus]].]]
Fetishism usually becomes evident during puberty, but may develop prior to that.<ref name="DSM-5" /> No single cause for fetishism has been conclusively established.<ref name="bancroft" />

Some explanations invoke [[classical conditioning]]. In several experiments, men have been conditioned to show arousal to stimuli like boots, geometric shapes or penny jars by pairing these cues with conventional erotica.<ref>{{cite book | author =  Darcangelo, S. | date= 2008 | title = Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition | url =  https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws | url-access =  limited | publisher = The Guilford Press | pages = [https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws/page/n126 112]–113 | chapter = Fetishism: Psychopathology and Theory | isbn= 9781593856052 | editor = Laws, D. R. |editor2=O'Donohue, W. T.}}</ref> According to [[John Bancroft (sexologist)|John Bancroft]], conditioning alone cannot explain fetishism, because it does not result in fetishism for most people. He suggests that conditioning combines with some other factor, such as an abnormality in the sexual learning process.<ref name="bancroft">{{cite book | author = Bancroft, John | year = 2009 | title = Human Sexuality and Its Problems | publisher = Elsevier Health Sciences | pages = 283–286}}</ref>

Theories of [[sexual imprinting]] propose that humans learn to recognize sexually desirable features and activities during childhood. Fetishism could result when a child is imprinted with an overly narrow or incorrect concept of a sex object.<ref>{{cite book | author =  Darcangelo, S. | date= 2008 | title = Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition | url =  https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws | url-access =  limited | publisher = The Guilford Press | page = [https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws/page/n128 114] | chapter = Fetishism: Psychopathology and Theory | isbn= 9781593856052 | editor = Laws, D. R. |editor2=O'Donohue, W. T.}}</ref> Imprinting seems to occur during the child's earliest experiences with arousal and desire, and is based on "an egocentric evaluation of salient reward- or pleasure-related characteristics that differ from one individual to another."<ref name="pfaus" />

Neurological differences may play a role in some cases. [[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran]] observed that the region processing sensory input from the feet lies immediately next to the region processing genital stimulation, and suggested an accidental link between these regions could explain the prevalence of [[foot fetishism]].<ref>{{cite journal | author = Ramachandran, V. S. | year = 1994 | title = Phantom limbs, neglect syndromes, repressed memories, and Freudian psychology | journal = International Review of Neurobiology | volume = 37 | pages = 291–333| doi = 10.1016/S0074-7742(08)60254-8 | pmid = 7883483 | isbn = 9780123668370 }}</ref> In one unusual case, an [[anterior temporal lobectomy]] relieved an epileptic man's fetish for safety pins.<ref>{{cite book | author =  Darcangelo, S. | date= 2008 | title = Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition | url =  https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws | url-access =  limited | publisher = The Guilford Press | page = [https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws/page/n126 112] | chapter = Fetishism: Psychopathology and Theory | isbn= 9781593856052 | editor = Laws, D. R. |editor2=O'Donohue, W. T.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Mitchell, W., Falconer, M., & Hill, D. | year = 1954 | title = Epilepsy with fetishism relieved by temporal lobectomy | journal = The Lancet | volume = 264 | issue = 6839 | pages = 626–630 | doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(54)90404-3| pmid = 13202455 }}</ref>

Various explanations have been put forth for the rarity of female fetishists. Most fetishes are visual in nature, and males are thought to be more sexually sensitive to visual stimuli.<ref name="darcprev">{{cite book|author=Darcangelo, S.|url=https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws|title=Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition|date=2008|publisher=The Guilford Press|editor=Laws, D. R.|page=[https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws/page/n124 110]|chapter=Fetishism: Psychopathology and Theory|isbn=9781593856052 |editor2=O'Donohue, W. T.|url-access=limited}}</ref> [[Roy Baumeister]] suggests that male sexuality is unchangeable, except for a brief period in childhood during which fetishism could become established, while [[Sexual fluidity|female sexuality is fluid]] throughout life.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Baumeister, R. F. |year=2000 |title=Gender differences in erotic plasticity: the female sex drive as socially flexible and responsive. |journal=Psychological Bulletin |volume=126 |issue=3 |pages=347–74; discussion 385–9 |url=http://people.fmarion.edu/tbarbeau/Erotic%20Plasticity2000.pdf |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.347 |pmid=10825779 |s2cid=35777544 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105135128/http://people.fmarion.edu/tbarbeau/Erotic%20Plasticity2000.pdf |archive-date=5 January 2012 }}</ref>

== Diagnosis ==
Under the [[DSM-5]], fetishism is sexual arousal from nonliving objects or specific nongenital body parts, excluding clothes used for [[cross-dressing]] (as that falls under [[transvestic fetishism]]) and [[sex toy]]s that are designed for genital stimulation. In order to be diagnosed as ''fetishistic disorder'', the arousal must persist for at least six months and cause significant [[psychosocial distress]] or impairment in important areas of their life. In the [[DSM-IV]], sexual interest in body parts was distinguished from fetishism under the name [[partialism]] (diagnosed as [[Paraphilia NOS]]), but it was merged with fetishistic disorder for the DSM-5.<ref name="DSM-5" />

The ReviseF65 project campaigned for the [[International Classification of Diseases]] (ICD)’s fetish-related diagnoses to be abolished completely to avoid [[social stigma|stigmatizing]] fetishists.<ref name="riersol">{{cite journal |last1=Reiersøl |first1=O. |last2=Skeid |first2=S. |year=2006 |title=The ICD diagnoses of fetishism and sadomasochism |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=50 |issue=2–3 |pages=243–262 |doi=10.1300/j082v50n02_12 |pmid=16803767 |s2cid=7120928}}</ref> On 18 June 2018, the WHO ([[World Health Organization]]) published [[ICD-11]], in which fetishism and fetishistic transvestism ([[cross-dressing]] for sexual pleasure) are now removed as psychiatric diagnoses. Moreover, discrimination against fetish-having and [[BDSM]] individuals is considered inconsistent with human rights principles endorsed by the United Nations and The World Health Organization.<ref name=":ICD1">{{Cite journal|last1=Krueger|first1=Richard B.|last2=Reed|first2=Geoffrey M.|last3=First|first3=Michael B.|last4=Marais|first4=Adele|last5=Kismodi|first5=Eszter|last6=Briken|first6=Peer|date=2017|title=Proposals for Paraphilic Disorders in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11)|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=46|issue=5|pages=1529–1545|doi=10.1007/s10508-017-0944-2|issn=0004-0002|pmc=5487931|pmid=28210933}}</ref>

== Treatment ==

According to the [[World Health Organization]], fetishistic fantasies are common and should only be treated as a disorder when they impair normal functioning or cause distress.<ref name="ICD" /> Goals of treatment can include elimination of criminal activity, reduction in reliance on the fetish for sexual satisfaction, improving relationship skills, reducing or removing arousal to the fetish altogether, or increasing arousal towards more acceptable stimuli. The evidence for treatment efficacy is limited and largely based on [[case studies]], and no research on treatment for female fetishists exists.<ref name="darctreatment">{{cite book|author=Darcangelo, S., Hollings, A., Paladino, G.|url=https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws|title=Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition|date=2008|publisher=The Guilford Press|editor=Laws, D. R.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sexualdevianceth00laws/page/n136 122]–127|chapter=Fetishism: Assessment and Treatment|isbn=9781593856052 |editor2=O'Donohue, W. T.|url-access=limited}}</ref>

[[Cognitive behavioral therapy]] is one popular approach. Cognitive behavioral therapists teach clients to identify and avoid antecedents to fetishistic behavior, and substitute non-fetishistic fantasies for ones involving the fetish. [[Aversion therapy]] and [[covert conditioning]] can reduce fetishistic arousal in the short term, but requires repetition to sustain the effect. Multiple case studies have also reported treating fetishistic behavior with [[Psychodynamics|psychodynamic]] approaches.<ref name="darctreatment" />

[[Antiandrogen]]s may be prescribed to lower sex drive. [[Cyproterone acetate]] is the most commonly used antiandrogen, except in the United States, where it may not be available. A large body of literature has shown that it reduces general sexual fantasies. Side effects may include [[osteoporosis]], [[liver dysfunction]], and feminization. Case studies have found that the antiandrogen [[medroxyprogesterone acetate]] is successful in reducing sexual interest, but can have side effects including osteoporosis, [[diabetes]], [[deep vein thrombosis]], feminization, and weight gain. Some hospitals use [[leuprorelin]] and [[goserelin]] to reduce libido, and while there is presently little evidence for their efficacy, they have fewer side effects than other antiandrogens. A number of studies support the use of [[selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor]]s (SSRIs), which may be preferable over antiandrogens because of their relatively benign side effects. Pharmacological agents are an adjunctive treatment which are usually combined with other approaches for maximum effect.<ref name="darctreatment" />

[[Relationship counseling|Relationship counselors]] may attempt to reduce dependence on the fetish and improve partner communication using techniques like [[sensate focusing]]. Partners may agree to incorporate the fetish into their activities in a controlled, time-limited manner, or set aside only certain days to practice the fetishism. If the fetishist cannot sustain an erection without the fetish object, the therapist might recommend orgasmic reconditioning or [[covert sensitization]] to increase arousal to normal stimuli (although the evidence base for these techniques is weak).<ref name="darctreatment" />

== Occurrence ==
The [[prevalence]] of fetishism is not known with certainty. Fetishism is more common in males.<ref name="darcprev" /> In a 2011 study, 30% of men reported fetishistic fantasies, and 24.5% had engaged in fetishistic acts. Of those reporting fantasies, 45% said the fetish was intensely sexually arousing.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Ahlers, C. J., Schaefer, G. A., Mundt, I. A., Roll, S., Englert, H., Willich, S. N., & Beier, K. M. | year = 2011 | title = How unusual are the contents of paraphilias? Paraphilia-associated sexual arousal patterns in a community-based sample of men | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 8 | issue = 5 | pages = 1362–1370 | doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01597.x | pmid=19929918| s2cid = 205894747 }}</ref> In a 2014 study, 26.3% of women and 27.8% of men acknowledged any fantasies about "having sex with a fetish or non-sexual object". A content analysis of the sample's favorite fantasies found that 14% of the male fantasies involved fetishism (including [[foot fetish|feet]], nonsexual objects, and specific clothing), and 4.7% focused on a specific body part other than feet. None of the women's favorite fantasies had fetishistic themes.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Joyal, C. C., Cossette, A., & Lapierre, V. | year = 2014 | title = What Exactly Is an Unusual Sexual Fantasy? | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | pages = 328–340 | doi=10.1111/jsm.12734| pmid = 25359122 | s2cid = 33785479 }}</ref> Another study found that 28% of men and 11% of women reported fetishistic arousal (including feet, fabrics, and objects "like shoes, gloves, or plush toys").<ref>{{cite journal | author = Dawson, S. J., Bannerman, B. A., & Lalumière, M. L. | year = 2014 | title = Paraphilic interests: An examination of sex differences in a nonclinical sample | journal = Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment | volume = 28 | issue = 1 | pages = 20–45 | doi = 10.1177/1079063214525645 | pmid = 24633420 | s2cid = 541989 | url = http://sax.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/03/05/1079063214525645.full.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 18% of men in a 1980 study reported fetishistic fantasies.<ref name="darcprev" />

Fetishism to the extent that it is seen as a disorder appears to be rare, with less than 1% of general psychiatric patients presenting fetishism as their primary problem. It is also uncommon in forensic populations.<ref name="darcprev" />

== History ==
The word ''fetish'' derives from the [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|fétiche}}, which comes from the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] {{lang|pt|feitiço}} ("spell"), which in turn derives from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|facticius}} ("artificial") and {{lang|la|facere}} ("to make").<ref>{{cite web | author = Harper, Douglas | title = fetish (n.) | work = Online Etymology Dictionary | url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fetish&allowed_in_frame=0 | access-date = 2 March 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131113151509/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fetish&allowed_in_frame=0 | archive-date = 13 November 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> A fetish is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over others. Essentially, fetishism is the attribution of inherent value or powers to an object. ''Fétichisme'' was first used in an erotic context by [[Alfred Binet]] in 1887.<ref name="binet">{{cite journal | author = Binet, A. | year = 1887 | title = Du fétichisme dans l'amour | journal = Revue Philosophiqu | volume = 24 | pages = 143–167}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author = Bullough, V. L. | year = 1995 | title = Science in the bedroom: A history of sex research | publisher = Basic Books | page = 42 | url = http://www.sexarchive.info/GESUND/ARCHIV/LIBRO.HTM | access-date = 5 March 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150704001824/http://www.sexarchive.info/GESUND/ARCHIV/LIBRO.HTM | archive-date = 4 July 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> A slightly earlier concept was Julien Chevalier's ''azoophilie''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Janssen|first=Diederik F|date=2020-06-30|title=From Libidines nefandæ to sexual perversions|journal=History of Psychiatry|volume=31|issue=4|language=en|pages=421–439|doi=10.1177/0957154X20937254|pmid=32605397|pmc=7534020|issn=0957-154X|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Early perspectives on cause ===
Alfred Binet suspected fetishism was the pathological result of ''associations''. He argued that, in certain vulnerable individuals, an emotionally rousing experience with the fetish object in childhood could lead to fetishism.<ref>{{cite journal | last1= Freund |first1=K. |last2=Seto |first2=M. C. |last3=Kuban |first3=M. | year = 1996 | title = Two types of fetishism | journal = Behaviour Research and Therapy | volume = 34 | issue = 9 | pages = 687–694 | doi=10.1016/0005-7967(96)00047-2| pmid = 8936751 }}</ref> [[Richard von Krafft-Ebing]] and [[Havelock Ellis]] also believed that fetishism arose from associative experiences, but disagreed on what type of predisposition was necessary.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Raymond, M. J. | year = 1956 | title = Case of fetishism treated by aversion therapy | journal = British Medical Journal | volume = 2 | issue = 4997 | pages = 854–7 | pmc=2035612 | pmid=13364343| doi = 10.1136/bmj.2.4997.854 }}</ref>

The sexologist [[Magnus Hirschfeld]] followed another line of thought when he proposed his theory of ''partial attractiveness'' in 1920. According to his argument, sexual attractiveness never originates in a person as a whole but always is the product of the interaction of individual features. He stated that nearly everyone had special interests and thus suffered from a healthy kind of fetishism, while only detaching and overvaluing of a single feature resulted in pathological fetishism. Today, Hirschfeld's theory is often mentioned in the context of gender role specific behavior: females present sexual stimuli by highlighting body parts, clothes or accessories; males react to them.

[[Sigmund Freud]] believed that sexual fetishism in men derived from the unconscious fear of the mother's genitals, from men's universal fear of castration, and from a man's fantasy that his mother had had a penis but that it had been cut off. He did not discuss sexual fetishism in women.

In 1951, [[Donald Winnicott]] presented his theory of ''transitional objects and phenomena'', according to which childish actions like thumb sucking and objects like cuddly toys are the source of manifold adult behavior, amongst many others fetishism. He speculated that the child's [[transitional object]] became sexualized.<ref>Winnicott, D. W. (1953) ''Übergangsobjekte und Übergangsphänomene: eine Studie über den ersten, nicht zum Selbst gehörenden Besitz.'' (German) Presentation 1951, 1953. In: ''Psyche'' 23, 1969.</ref>

== Other animals ==
{{see also|Animal sexual behaviour#Others}}

Human fetishism has been compared to [[Pavlovian conditioning]] of sexual response in other animals.<ref name="pfaus">{{cite journal |last1= Pfaus |first1=J. G. |last2=Kippin |first2=T. E. |last3=Coria-Avila |first3=G. A. |last4=Gelez |first4=H. |last5=Afonso |first5=V. M. |last6=Ismail |first6=N. |last7=Parada |first77=M. | year = 2012 | title = Who, what, where, when (and maybe even why)? How the experience of sexual reward connects sexual desire, preference, and performance | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 41 | issue = 1 | pages = 31–62 | doi=10.1007/s10508-012-9935-5 | pmid=22402996| s2cid = 12421026|s2cid-access=free |url=http://recherche.ouvaton.org/telechargement/pfaus_2012.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809134319/http://recherche.ouvaton.org/telechargement/pfaus_2012.pdf |archive-date= Aug 9, 2017 }}</ref><ref name="zamble">{{cite journal | author = Zamble, E., Mitchell, J. B., & Findlay, H. | year = 1986 | title = Pavlovian conditioning of sexual arousal: Parametric and background manipulations | journal = Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes | volume = 12 | issue = 4 | pages = 403–411 | doi=10.1037/0097-7403.12.4.403| pmid = 3772304 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Akins, C. K. | year = 2004 | title = The role of Pavlovian conditioning in sexual behavior: A comparative analysis of human and nonhuman animals | journal = International Journal of Comparative Psychology | volume = 17 | issue = 2 | pages = 241–262 | doi = 10.46867/IJCP.2004.17.02.03 | url = http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wc177zt | access-date = 2 March 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150320062557/http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wc177zt | archive-date = 20 March 2015 | url-status = live | doi-access = free }}</ref> Sexual attraction to certain cues can be artificially induced in [[rat]]s. Both male and female rats will develop a sexual preference for neutrally or even noxiously scented partners if those scents are paired with their early sexual experiences.<ref name="pfaus" /> Injecting [[morphine]] or [[oxytocin]] into a male rat during its first exposure to scented females has the same effect.<ref name="pfaus" /> Rats will also develop sexual preferences for the location of their early sexual experiences, and can be conditioned to show increased arousal in the presence of objects such as a plastic toy fish.<ref name="pfaus" /><ref name="zamble" /> One experiment found that rats which are made to wear a Velcro tethering jacket during their formative sexual experiences exhibit severe deficits in sexual performance when not wearing the jacket.<ref name="pfaus" /> Similar sexual conditioning has been demonstrated in [[gourami]]s, [[marmoset]]s and [[Japanese quail]]s.<ref name="pfaus" />

Possible [[boot fetishism]] has been reported in two different primates from the same zoo. Whenever a boot was placed near the first, a [[common chimpanzee]] born in captivity, he would invariably stare at it, touch it, become erect, rub his penis against the boot, masturbate, and then consume his ejaculate. The second, a [[guinea baboon]], would become erect while rubbing and smelling the boot, but not masturbate or touch it with his penis.<ref>{{cite book | author = Epstein, A. W. | year = 1987 | chapter = The phylogenetics of fetishism | editor = Wilson, G. | title = Variant Sexuality (Routledge Revivals): Research and Theory | publisher = Routledge | pages = 143–144 | isbn = 9781317913528 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=X3fXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA143}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* [[Breast fetishism]]
* [[Catfight]]
* [[Charles Guyette]]
* [[Eric Stanton]]
* [[Gene Bilbrew]]
* [[Irving Klaw]]
* [[John Willie]]
* [[Counterphobic attitude]]
* [[Fetish club]]
* [[Fetish fashion]]
* [[Kink (sexuality)]]
* [[List of paraphilias]]
* [[Paraphilia]]
* [[Phallic woman]]
* [[Racial fetishism]]
* [[List of universities with BDSM clubs]]
}}

''Clothing fetishism and fetish-related''
* [[Clothing fetish]]
* [[Cosplay]]
* [[PVC clothing]]
* [[Sexual roleplay]]
* [[Uniform fetishism]]
* [[Transvestic fetishism]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Sexual fetishism}}
* {{cite book | author=Bass, Alan | title=Fetishism, Psychoanalysis, and Philosophy: The Iridescent Thing | publisher=Routledge | location=London | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-138-55640-9 }}
* Bienvenu, Robert (2003). ''The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States.'' Online PDF under [http://www.americanfetish.net/ Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116091202/http://www.americanfetish.net/ |date=16 November 2007 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Gates | first = Katharine | title = Deviant Desires: Incredibly Strange Sex | year = 1999 | publisher = Juno Books | isbn = 978-1-890451-03-5 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Kaplan | first = Louise J. | title = Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary | year = 1991 | publisher = Doubleday | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-385-26233-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/femaleperversion00kapl_0 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Love | first = Brenda | title = The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices | year = 1994 | publisher = Barricade Books | isbn = 978-1-56980-011-9 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781569800119 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Steele | first = Valerie | title = Fetish: Fashion, Sex, and Power | year = 1995 | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 978-0-19-509044-4 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Utley | first = Larry |author2=Autumn Carey-Adamme  | title = Fetish Fashion: Undressing the Corset | year = 2002 | publisher = Green Candy Press | isbn = 978-1-931160-06-3 }}
* Коловрат Ю. А. [https://colovrat.org/publ/2-1-0-19 Сексуальное волховство и фаллоктенические культы древних славян] // История Змиевского края. – Змиев. – 19.10.2008.

==External links==
{{Medical resources
| ICD10           = {{ICD10|F65.0}}, {{ICD10|F65.1}}
| ICD9            = {{ICD9|302.81}}
| ICDO            = 
| OMIM            = 
| DiseasesDB      = 
| MedlinePlus     = 
| eMedicineSubj   = 
| eMedicineTopic  = 
| MeshID          = D005329
| GeneReviewsNBK  = 
| GeneReviewsName = 
| NORD            = 
| GARDNum         = 
| GARDName        = 
| Orphanet        = 
| AO              = 
| RP              = 
| WO              = 
| OrthoInfo       = 
| NCI             = 
| Scholia         = 
| SNOMED CT       =
}}
{{Sex fetish}}
{{Paraphilia}}
{{BDSM}}
{{Sex}}
{{Human sexuality}}
{{Mental and behavioural disorders|selected = adult}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sexual fetishism]]
[[Category:Sexual dysfunctions]]